2017 Week Nine Score Report

• 45 points a game this week -- it needed a couple of biggies to get it to that number (Philly and the Rams, two of the big guns in the NFC).  Last year Week 9:  50.08
• 9 week per-game average is now 43.977.  Last year:  45.61
• Home teams, after the 1 Eastern starts, were 1-4.  7-6 for the week, 66-62 for the year. (Only .516).  Last year was also 7-6 for the week, but home teams were winning at a .593 clip!
• The over was 6-7, and that was only because the Monday nighter went over because of a Green Bay touchdown at the gun that had them only lose by 30-17.  65-63-4 for the year.  Last year:  8-5, 73-59.
• Favorites were 7-5-1 against the number this week, 9-4 straight up.
• For the year:  61-68-3 against the spread, 85-47 straight up.  Last year:  59-59-7 ATS and 76-48-1 SU.
• Last year the team with more penalties was only 3-9.  This year, even more pronounced:  Only the Los Angeles Rams won their game this week by committing more penalties (and that was 6-4).  1-11-1 for the week in that regard, 52-68-12 for the year now.  Only three weeks ago, it was basically a wash.
• SIX non-competitive games this week.  Now 46 out of the 132 NFL contests (about 36%) have been blowouts, in which the losing team never got within eight points at any point in the fourth quarter.  There were only 34 last year, with 2 in Week 9.
• Two more games were within eight at some point in the fourth quarter, but didn't finish there.  22 of those for the year.  Last year:  26 of those.
• Only 5 of the 13 games finished within one score.  64 for the year (about 48.5%).  Last year had nine this week and about 55% of all games finishing within one score.
• Only one Cliffhanger (and it was a double, Washington's upset of Seattle).  23, now, for the year (about 17.5%).   Last year Week 9 also had one, and the yearly rate was a tick over 20%.
• 4 Last Chance misses, also making 23 for the year.  

The ratings numbers, as of this morning:

• The Cowboys, once again, won the week.  The CBS national window was up 11% with their win over the Chiefs.  Best ratings of the year for CBS, at just over a 14.
• CBS regional window also won big, up 18%.
• Thursday Night was a complete wash, even from the year before.
• FOX took a drubbing:  Their single window down 23%.
• And so did Sunday Night:  down 18%.
• No word on Monday, but I can't think that did well either.

Some other odd numbers from the standings:

• Fourteen teams within one game of .500 -- last year had 15.
• If season ended now:  AFC:  Pittsburgh 1 New England 2 (Conference record) KC 3 (Conference record -- all are 6-2 -- by the end of the year, HTH is possible, but only if Pittsburgh beats New England) Tennessee 4 (HTH over Jacksonville at 5-3) Jacksonville 5 (Conference record over Buffalo at 5-3)  Buffalo 6 (There is no further tiebreaker, you need 5-3 to get in right now.)
• NFC:  Philadelphia 1 (8-1) New Orleans 2 (Conference record) Minnesota 3 (Conference Record) LA Rams 4 (Conference record, all are 6-2 -- by the end of the year, HTH is possible, all three teams play both the others) Carolina 5 (at 6-3) Dallas 6 (Conference record over Seattle at 5-3 00 -- they do play later in the season)